As in Acapulco or the Poconos, Honolulu’s mid-century turn in the tourism spotlight burned so bright that even today its 1960s reputation endures: It’s only for newlyweds, so the thinking goes—stacked with tiki kitsch and mid-range hotels as faded as a lingering Pacific sunset. Nothing could be further from the truth. A post-recession influx of Asia-Pacific capital has spurred an islandwide building boom, while a surge of innovation driven largely by locals has transformed this city of 375,000 from a holiday outpost to a globalized, cosmopolitan destination, one that’s closer to Tokyo than to Denver. (Almost.) Wisps of the Jet Age still float through Waikiki, where Pucci prints and floppy hats remain de rigueur. But the contemporary soul of the island is best seen beyond Honolulu’s most famous stretches of sand: in the creative new restaurants sprouting up in emerging neighborhoods; in the only-here architecture of the Liljestrand House; at boutiques that are updating our long-held notions of Hawaiian style. Of course some things—the legendary breaks, the rugged North Shore, shave ice—will, thankfully, never change. Which is exactly why you’re here once again. Welcome back.

Where to Stay

Here’s the thing: Those beachfront grandes dames you’ve heard about still are the top game in town.

—all soft neutrals, glossy marble, and just-so orchids—makes for a calm, clean-lined refuge from the din of Waikiki. The more formal vibe (no shorts or flip-flops in the hotel’s restaurants after 6 p.m.) and standout service draw a sophisticated crowd. And if watching a sunset hula at the breezy House Without a Key bar isn’t what you came here for, you’re on the wrong island.

Best for families Fifteen minutes southeast of Waikiki, in a ritzy residential neighborhood next to a country club, sits the

The Kahala Hotel & Resort. The ’60s-era resort is an island unto itself, with its own (nominally public but quasi-private) beach, plenty of restaurants, and—your kids are going to freak—a huge, miraculously unhokey lagoon complete with dolphins, sea turtles, and stingrays.

The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waikiki? So much borders on kooky kitsch,
but it’s all done so well that no one cares. This is that hell-yeah-we’re-in-Hawaii fantasy we’re all looking for, from the pink pool umbrellas to the undeniably great weekly luau.

Pretend you live here

For more space and privacy than you’ll find at a big resort, consider renting a house. Sites like HomeAway offer many options, but a specialist such as Anne Pawsat-Dressler of Hawaii Hideaways has access to homes you won’t find anywhere else—and she can arrange snorkeling trips, surf lessons, and helicopter tours, too. Her Oahu portfolio includes properties for couples (an oceanview condo for $425 a night), families (a waterfront three-bedroom for $1,000 a night), and multi-generational groups (a beachside five-bedroom that sleeps 12 for $3,000 a night).

Courtesy Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa

Courtesy Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

Courtesy Hilton Hotels & Resorts

Courtesy Aulani

Courtesy Disney

Jason Dewey

Courtesy Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

Courtesy Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

Situated on 40 acres along Ka'anapali Beach, the Hyatt Regency Maui is within easy reach of famous snorkeling around Black Rock. Many of the modern, airy rooms have ocean views; if you splurge on the Regency Premier Oceanfront Room, you’ll also get complimentary refreshments and a personal concierge. There’s golf and tennis on site, plus two pools—one with a 150-foot “lava tube” waterslide. Food is available at four restaurants and you can order a drink at the Grotto Bar, built inside an artificial cave between two waterfalls.

Courtesy Hyatt Regency

Courtesy Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

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Courtesy Travaasa Hana

Courtesy Waldorf Astoria

Courtesy Ko'a Kea Hotel & Resort at Po'ipu Beach/Photo by Matt Hoover

Courtesy Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

Michael Kleinberg

Courtesy Hyatt

Dana Edmunds/Courtesy Honua Kai Resort & Spa

Courtesy Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

Courtesy Turtle Bay Resort

Courtesy Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

Brian Leahy/Courtesy Hotel Wailea

Eat Local

Chef and native son Ed Kenney—who followed up his hit restaurant Town with the new Mud Hen Water—steers us to his favorite authentic Hawaiian spots.

Where to Shop Hawaiian Style

Aloha Beach Club ’s smart T-shirts, tank tops, and board shorts are pieces you’ll actually want to wear when you get back to the mainland. The shop also shares space with The Local, which serves the best shave ice in the area.

Olive Boutique and Oliver Men’s Shop in Kailua—one for women, one for men—on the same block. Finds like splendid cotton dresses and M.Nii board shorts are island-life-ready; the custom “Kailua Market Bag” from L.A.–based eco-brand Apolis is made for the beach but can also carry your haul back to the hotel.

What to do on a rainy day

These homes turned museums—all less than 20 minutes from Honolulu’s main strip—are case studies in island design.

3.2 miles from WaikikiA National Historic Landmark, this gorgeous royal estate blends Italianate and Polynesian styles, a singular mashup referred to as American Florentine (the palace is the only example of the form anywhere in the world). Guided tours of the interior

Doris Duke's Shangri La mansion near Diamond Head holds one of the finest collections of Islamic art in the United States. After a honeymoon through the Middle East, Duke gathered more than 2,500 pieces, many of which are on display in her opulent mid-century modern home, built in 1936 and overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

4.7 miles from WaikikiDesigned by architect Vladimir Ossipoff, the 1952

Liljestrand House looks largely the same today as it did when it was completed, down to the arrangement of furnishings throughout the home and the artwork on the walls. Good thing, too: Ossipoff—who once controversially declared a “war on ugliness,” which he saw as prevalent in Honolulu—had exquisite taste.